Jumbo Everything!

Last week Jack went on a date to the movies. He said that when they got snacks at the theater his date had ordered “jumbo everything!” We laughed. But those words stayed with me.

I often approach life with a big dose of reticence. I’m afraid to dream big, take risks, take up space, make noise. I apologize too much, defer when I should dissent, and walk gingerly on eggshells when I should most decidedly not do so.

I don’t usually come up with a word or phrase for a new year, but this year both a word (“create,” which I will perhaps write about another day) and this phrase—jumbo everything!—have organically evolved into a focus for the year. This year, I want “jumbo everything!” I want to dream big, take risks, take up space, make noise, quit apologizing when I don’t need to, dissent when I disagree, and walk right onto those eggshells.

I feel like I might need to pause here to reassure you that this doesn’t mean I won’t apologize when I should or that I will stomp on people’s feelings like so many broken eggshells. Of course I won’t. I couldn’t ever do that, nor would I want to. But I just want to be truer to myself. I want to fling my arms open to the world and accept the “jumbo everything!” that it has to offer me: unabashed love and sweet friendship and tender care and joyous laughter and bright dreams and beautiful words and always, always hope.

What about you? Do you have a word or a phrase for the year?
Or maybe a word or a phrase that is calling to you today?